How to Locate Your Unprotected Android Device - thomasfraidess

So you unsaved your Android telephone or tablet, and you don't have a remote antitheft operating room GPS location app installed? Don't beat yourself up besides badly, because a few tricks may stillness help you remotely locate or secure IT.

In this guide, we'll show you how to use two Android apps that can represent remotely installed and activated via the Mechanical man Market website, which can give you a second chance at finding your lost or stolen smartphone. Of course, your Android twist mustiness be powered happening and birth either a data or Wi-Fi association in regularize for this to work. If your device is turned off, you might still have a chance of localization it when person turns information technology back on.

Retroactively Remote-Ascendance Your Device With AndroidLost

AndroidLost is a remote-control app for Android devices that you fire usance for a variety of distant functions (including performin a temptress and locating your device on Google Maps) via textual matter (SMS) commands OR the AndroidLost site. To father started with AndroidLost, you'll need a computer (Oregon perhaps another smartphone or lozenge) that you can use to access the Cyberspace and check up on email. If you ass, you should likewise require a friend with a mobile phone to help you send SMS commands to your lost or stolen smartphone.

AndroidLost is still in beta, but it already offers a bunch of neat remote features including SMS and call-log retrieval, plus features for sending text messages from your phone, taking and receiving photos from the tv camera, displaying messages on the device, and custom text-to-speech announcements that you can use to diffuse messages from your unregenerate or taken device. You can also check the status (battery level, IMEI, phone number, then on) of your missing device and let it send an email on the alert if the SIM card is changed. AndroidLost can also remotely lock your twist with a PIN or even wipe it and restore your phone or tablet to the factory default, but these options can't be enabled unless you assign the AndroidLost app body rights, which essential make up done from the missing device. However, even without access to your smartphone or tablet you can wipe out the SD card to protect your information.

First, in your Cyberspace web browser, open the AndroidLost page in the Android Market, click Set up, and gestural in with the same Google account you use on your missing Humanoid gimmick. Within seconds, the AndroidLost app should automatically install itself on your device. Note that before you can start issuing remote commands, the AndroidLost app needs to authenticate your device with Google's servers, which it should do mechanically.

To check if the app has registered your device, pass away to the AndroidLost web site and sign in with the identical Google write u that you use on your device. From there, click the Controls or Settings pages; if the pages appear with remote-control options for your missing device, you're good to go. If not, you need to keep checking past logging out and back in every 5 transactions or so. If time is of the essence, you can strain to force registration by sending an SMS message that reads "androidlost register" to your device from soul else's telephone set. If you're trying to unlikely-control an Android tablet, you can remotely put in the AndroidLost Jumpstart app to expedite the device adjustment cognitive process.

In our testing, the app remotely installed happening two unlike Android smartphones but took a surprisingly long time to validate the phones with Google. Still, sending "androidlost register" SMS messages to both phones strained a prosperous readjustment in seconds. One time the app successfully verifies your device registration with Google, you'll constitute able to access the Controls page for your missing device on the AndroidLost website, where you can remotely locate or lock down your lost smartphone.

Go to Plan B From Sentry

Lookout offers a full-featured security system app for Mechanical man devices that has antivirus aegis, information backup, and antitheft and remote-location features, but taking full advantage of Lookout requires you to establis and set it up on your device before you lose IT. However, Plan B is the company's nifty app that you can install after you've lost your phone. Information technology doesn't declare oneself remote siren or locking features like AndroidLost, just Plan B does provide an estimated location via an updated Google Map that can help you find your missing device. To pay back started, you just need access to a computer (or possibly another smartphone or tablet) to get online and check your email.

First, visit the Plan B Android Market page and click Install; then check in with the same Google account you use on your missing device. Within seconds, the Be after B app should be remotely pushed and installed to your device. If GPS position services are turned off in your Android device settings, Plan B testament hear to automatically enable IT. If that doesn't work, the app volition use cell towers to bring home the bacon a rough estimate of where your absent device is located.

How To Locate Your Android Phone — The Plan B app wish netmail you on a regular basis with maps and location data for your missing Android device.

Within a few minutes of instalmen Design B, the app testament automatically open and start sending emails to the GMail account you registered on your device. It took about two minutes in our tests before Plan B began emailing maps of where our device was, and Programme B testament continue to send emails with updated selective information about your twist's location until you disenable IT. Messages will come from the Program B app as often as every 2 transactions with the current location of your device, including GPS coordinates, accuracy in meters, and a Google Map viewing the estimated location.

If Plan B doesn't automatically start or you want more location updates later the first 10 transactions, you can send an SMS message with the word "locate" to your device from someone else's phone, and Plan B volition automatically make your device reply via text message with its latest location info.

This is a great way to track your phone if you lose access to your GMail describe–and hopefully this pass over ensures that you'll ne'er have to worry approximately losing an Mechanical man twist again.